FOREIGNER – Mr. Moonlight [Japanese Edition +1]

320 /// HQ

Can’t believe we didn’t featured this album so far… as requested, here’s FOREIGNER 1994’s “Mr. Moonlight“, musically slightly different from the band’s ’80s sound, but still awesome. This not easy to find Japanese pressing includes a worthwhile bonus track.
For longtime fans, ”Mr. Moonlight” brought a very welcome return – Lou Gramm was back. After a few teaser tracks on 1992’s The Very Best and Beyond, there was no guarantee it was anything more than a brief reunion. This record, however, confirmed it. He was in. For now, anyway.
What makes ”Mr. Moonlight” stand out is how well it adapts to the changing musical landscape. This was 1994. Grunge had already exploded, alt-rock was everywhere, and most of the ‘70s and ‘80s arena giants were either riding the nostalgia circuit or retreating into the studio. The worst move Foreigner could’ve made was to try to sound like it was still 1984. Thankfully, they didn’t.
This is a more organic Foreigner—less glossy, less synth-heavy, and far more grounded in acoustic guitars, real pianos, and a more restrained production overall. It’s still very much Foreigner, but without the layers of polish that sometimes drowned their earlier work.
Lou Gramm sounds fantastic throughout. Tracks like White Lie, All I Need to Know, and the awesome Rain show he still had the power and emotion that set him apart from so many of his peers. And Under the Gun—the album’s opener—channels just enough of that classic, riff-driven energy to remind you who you’re listening to.

Even the ballads, the very ’80s Until the End of Time, and Hand on My Heart, feel sincere and well-crafted. They lack the arena bombast of, say, I Want to Know What Love Is, but they work in this setting—and more importantly, they sound like they belong in the mid-‘90s rather than a decade earlier.
Admittedly, the back half of the record doesn’t quite measure up. Things slow down, ideas get a bit thinner, and the momentum fades. But to be fair, this has always been part of the Foreigner experience. Very few of their albums—from Double Vision to Inside Information—were completely filler-free.
But dude, when Mick Jones and Lou Gramm were in sync, the magic usually followed. And there’s great songs in ”Mr. Moonlight”

In the bigger picture, ”Mr. Moonlight” didn’t make much of a dent commercially. Foreigner, like most of their peers, had seen their chart-topping days pass. But they kept touring, kept selling out shows, and kept delivering the songs that filled arenas in the first place.
This album might not have revived their profile, but it was a worthy addition to their catalog.

As it turned out, it would also be Lou Gramm’s swan song with the band. He’d soon part ways again, this time for good. A miraculous recovery from a brain tumor, a personal transformation, and a turn toward gospel music would follow. His absence would be deeply felt in the years ahead—because whatever Foreigner would become, this was the last time it sounded like the real thing.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – White Lie
02 – Rain
03 – Until The End Of Time
04 – All I Need To Know
05 – Running The Risk
06 – Real World
07 – Big Dog
08 – Hole In My Soul
09 – I Keep Hoping
10 – Under The Gun
11 – Hand On My Heart
BONUS TRACK FOR JAPAN:
12 – Crash And Burn

Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Producer – Lou Gramm
Guitar, Piano, Backing Vocals, Producer – Mick Jones
Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Jeff Jacobs
Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Bruce Turgon
Drums, Backing Vocals – Mark Schulman

out of print